Roasted Turkey with Carrots and Potatoes

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Little turkey, Giant pan

Thanksgiving is over and most of us are preparing for the winter holidays now. Since we didn’t get to host Thanksgiving this year like we had done the for years before, we missed all of the great leftovers. Apparently hubs missed it so much that he snagged a turkey on sale after the holiday was over. It wasn’t until after it had thawed out and I opened the wrapper that I noticed it wasn’t exactly a whole turkey…but that didn’t stop us from chowing down on it! I had received an extremely nice 16.5 inch deep roasting pan from Tramontina just days before Thanksgiving so I knew it would come in very handy for this turkey. We didn’t have our own roasting pan and so I would usually borrow one from someone for the holidays or buy the very flimsy and dangerous disposable pans.

I learned how to roast my turkeys from a mixture of my mother-in-law and random recipes I had come across both online and TV. My mother-in-law always used Bell’s Seasoning but I didn’t have any on hand. I wish that I did for this turkey. Also, she taught me to cook the turkey breast side down. I had never ever heard of this method before but, since cooking it this way myself, will never cook it any other way. It makes the breast very moist. Make sure to not cook the turkey until falling apart if you do it this way because it will literally be impossible to flip back over to cut! You could even start cooking it breast side down and flip it back up halfway through cooking if you like.

The roasting pan that we used comes with a V Rack and Basting Grill. I used the V Rack for this recipe and it turned out great. It was my first time using one and made removing the turkey from the pan so much more easier than trying to stick in 2 large forks (or some other various utensils) in the turkey to remove it. The basting grill is nice since it has a corner removed for easy access to the drippings for basting. Made of heavy-gauge 18/10 stainless steel, large cast stainless steel riveted handles for a comfortable, balanced grip. Oven-safe up to 500°F / 260°C, Dishwasher-Safe.

Simple Roasted Turkey with Carrots and Potatoes

I do not use exact measurements and sort of just throw things together as I go so I will try to break it down for you below:

Turkey (This one was about 7 lb.)

2- Sticks of butter (melted – may need more if it is a larger turkey)

Garlic powder

Salt & Pepper

Whole Apple

Whole Medium Onion

4 Large Carrots (peeled and cut in 2-3 in. chunks)

4-5 Large Potatoes (peeled and chunked)

You want to begin by pre-heating the oven to 375 degrees F. Toss prepped vegetables into the roasting pan.

Wash the turkey off and remove any ‘extras’ inside of it. Pat dry with papertowels and sit on the V Rack in the roasting pan. (It’s fine if you do not have one, I never did before now!) Add about 2 C water to the pan.

Pour the melted butter all over the turkey making sure it is covered.

Season the turkey with garlic powder, salt and pepper all over and some inside.

Lay turkey breast side down and insert the apple and onion inside of it. Roast for 45 minutes. (You can skip this step if you do not want to mess with flipping the turkey around. Just make sure to add 45 minutes to the cooking time in the next step.

Either flip it back over or leave it in whatever position you want it to be and skip this step. I usually leave ours breast side down the entire cooking time. It’s totally up to you.

Baste the turkey with the pan drippings then cover it with foil or a roasting pan lid. This particular roasting pan that we used does not come with a lid.

Roast for another 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours or until a thermometer inserted into the breast reads 160 degrees F.

Make sure the turkey has reached its safe cooking temperature, remove from oven and allow it to rest for about 30 minutes BEFORE cutting into it.

The vegetables come out tender and flavorful from sitting in the butter and turkey drippings. I can see this roasting pan working fantastically when Christmas comes and I cook a big ham in it. I can’t wait!